The Incarnation of Jesus - the Christ - changes everything, for everyone, for all time. The Trinitarian LOVE and LIFE of God is what we are all made of, to LOVE is to LIVE, to KNOW GOD, to belong to EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE! This blog will fill in the details which I can document thus far ....

Monday, April 30, 2018

+ In our liturgy today, we continue to move now more closely to
the feasts of the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost, the birth day of the
Church. Jesus is trying to make a few connections that will last
with the Apostles who would be his representatives and vehicles of divine grace
so that he, himself, could remain with us to the end of time as he promised.

The primary connection is that
he and the Father in heaven are one! Simple enough to say, but o so difficult
to get into the heads and hearts of the chosen band. But without this
connection, there are no other connections at all.

It is the Father’s idea, our
redemption; it is the Father’s idea, our sanctification; it is the Father’s
idea, our protection until that last trumpet sounds – and yes, there will be
trumpets – you can rest assured of that.

The second connection is that:
the amazing works that the apostles will do, such as the healing of those in
need of it, as a witness to the resurrection power of Jesus, is not the work of
the gods, as in pagan deities, but rather it is the work of God, God the
Creator, God the Father of All, God the Healer and Reconciler of All. So the
reaction of the Greeks to the miracles of Paul and Barnabas are rather amusing
while at the same time off-base, as they try to offer sacrifices to them,
thinking them gods.

But the third connection is
this: that, in sorting it all out, it will be one of the tasks of the sent Holy
Spirit to “teach us everything, and to remind us of all that Jesus told us,”
because all that Jesus told us needs to be pondered, prayed about, and acted
upon – so that the Promise of Forgiveness of Sins, the Resurrection of the Dead
and Life Everlasting will really happen for all who believe it can happen, and
who want it with all their hearts.

The choice is ours, it is
always ours: do we want to be among the crowd that believes, loves and serves
Christ where he is to be found – daily – in the people we come into contact
with! That’s all there really is to it!

Not to us, O Lord, but to you
name give the glory, both now and forever.

Sunday, April 29, 2018

I
–Barnabas reported to the Apostles how Saul had seen the Lord on the way.

R
–I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

II
– This is his commandment: that we may believe and love.

A
– Remain in me as I remain in you, says the Lord. Whoever remains in me will
bear much fruit.

G –Whoever
remains in me and I him will bear much fruit.

+We have encouraging and wonderful readings today. The
first reading tells of how the Church - through the working of the Holy Spirit
- was being built up and walking in the
fear of the Lord, with the consolation of the Holy Spirit, growing in numbers.
This, including the story of how, when Saul first arrives, ready to preach
boldly in the name of the Lord, everyone was afraid of him because he is the
very one who was just recently out to persecute and imprison newly baptized
Christians.

But it was Barnabas who took
charge of the situation and introduced Saul / soon to be Paul / as one who is
actually on their side now! And it was a marvel for all to see the change in
this young upstart from Tarsus. Yes, when God has his way with someone, things
change, and for the better!

St. John in the second reading
today tells the community of believers that the genuineness of their Christian
commitment must be expressed in deeds and
in truth and not just word or speech. If we do not allow Jesus to live his
life for others through us, then we can talk about it all we want, and it will
mean nothing, and nothing meaningful will get done. We must practice what we preach.

Then the magnificent imagery
of the gospel passage shows us the degree to which we can and must be united to
Jesus in order to have a prosperous and abundant life, here and hereafter and
something to share with others: our
communion must be like that of a vine and branches.I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me: by daily
acts of belief and service to others, then you will experience my presence in a
powerful way, and you will be able to ask
me for anything and I will do it for you – because you are pleasing my
Father and bearing much fruit.

And so at this planting time
of the year, when new vines and growth are easily visible let us be reminded
how intimate our relationship with Jesus and his Father is meant to be, and in
fact can be, through the working of the
Holy Spirit in us! A powerful force indeed! – and it will affect not only
our own lives, but the lives of those God places in our path each and every day
– through us!

Saturday, April 28, 2018

+ As we move now more closely to the feast of the Ascension of the
Lord, Jesus begins to hammer home the main point of his
Incarnation, his coming to earth, his coming to dwell within a tent like our
own human body: when you see me, you see the Father! I and the Father are one!
The words you hear are not mine, they are from the Father! The FATHER LOVES
YOU! and I together with him LOVE YOU! and it is our very Spirit of Life,
Peace, Healing and Truth that is the LOVE with which you are loved!

We loved you so much as to
work out your salvation and sanctification in the Mystical Expression of our
Reality that will be soon called: The Church! and from it you will have
everything you need spiritually to trudge your way through life on his planet,
daily, in preparation for your entry, if you so want it, of eternal life in a
heavenly dwelling place clearly beyond your wildest imaginings.

The is the life, this is the
magnificent invitation that the Jews blatantly refuse to have anything to do
with now – and who begin to persecute these upstarts. And so “the disciples
left their towns and shook the dust from their feet in protest against them!”
Such a powerful image this is: SHOOK THE DUST IN DISGUST AND PITY on them who
would cut themselves off from eternal bliss because of their hardness of heart,
because they were blinded by power, because they were afraid to welcome Truth
and Joy into their lives.

May we today, who are baptized
into this Mystical Body, this Church, this fellowship of saints, be willing to
have dust and dirt thrown in our face by an unbelieving world that is so
wrapped up in is own misery, and self-absorbed decadence that it cannot even
imagine there is a “Light of Day” – but this should not stop us from radiating
the presence of the Indwelling Trinity in our souls, in our words, in our
actions! For if we bring the LIGHT and PEACE OF CHRIST to just one person
today: it will have been worth getting out of bed for!

All the ends of the earth have
seen the great works of the Father/Son duo – and will see even greater works –
through us! Amen!

Friday, April 27, 2018

+ We have a serious but at the same time joyful message in our
readings today at mass. This time in a more gentle kind of way,
St. Paul, in the first reading conveys the message that all of the prophecies
concerning the Messiah, the Suffering Servant and his death and resurrection,
were fulfilled in Jesus, the Nazorean who was killed by us, the children of
Israel as it was foretold. The point of emphasis here being, even being killed
by his own people was thus prophesied, so there was no need to be defensive
about the reality that they were indeed the ones chosen from all time to carry
out this execution.

But we also must not divorce
the resurrection, the newness of life, the making things better than what they
were before the Fall, is also part of the actions of the executioners. God can
and does bring good out of everything that seems dark, oppressive and hopeless.

In the gospel passage Jesus
congratulates the Israelites for having faith in God (the Father Creator with
whom their ancestors dealt in their release from bondage in Israel), so he says
please have faith also in me, because the Father and I are one, I am his Son, I
am Son of Man, and Son of God! And in fact, it is when I will ascend from your
sight, that I will go and prepare a special dwelling (literally a mansion, a
house, a condo, an apartment) just for you, for you to call home when you enter
the glorious and magnificent kingdom of my Father, to live as a brother /
sister of mine and all the saints forever.

Then he tells them that they
already know the way to get there – as he was the living example of it for the
three years he taught about life in the Kingdom: but Thomas again is confused:
how do we know where you are going, how can we know the way: And so Jesus, o so
patiently and lovingly relates to Thomas – who represents all of us who need to
have things explained very slowly and deliberately to us: Thomas I AM the way,
I AM the truth about absolutely everything and every situation, and I AM the
very life that has begun in you now, and will reach fulfillment at your own
passing into eternity at your death! SO DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED! not
even for an instant! YOU ARE SAFE! YOU ARE FINE! YOU ARE MINE!

The Father has invited
everyone to family life in his kingdom, but it is also true that you must pass
through me to get there – there is no other way – no other way at all – how
could there be – you have to pass through my life, my passion, my crucifixion,
my resurrection and my ascension to glory in order to enjoy the fruits of what
all of that merited for you!BELIEVE
THIS, TURN FULLY TO ME! and stay connected with me until death! Amen.

Thursday, April 26, 2018

+ Our readings at Mass today have to do with the
acceptance and wonder that comes when we see conversion at work, for example,
when Paul arrives in Antioch, a thriving and sophisticated Greek city – he
marches into the local synagogue and then proceeds to outline the long-awaiting
arrival on the scene of Jesus, the Messiah, Lord and Savior of not only the
people of Israel, but everyone and everything else.

The listeners there may still
be astonished that this is the very zealot Jew who was just a short while ago
persecuting those who were disciple of this same Jesus, Messiah, Lord and
Savior.

When a conversion occurs –
that is obvious by the conviction, authenticity and tone of voice that speaks
volumes about the fact that truth is being spoken here – and yes, not only I
was wrong about Jesus, but so were a lot of you, and most of the rest of the
world – up to and including to today!

Unless a person is saturated
with Life in the Spirit – that comes with being baptized and confirmed and
given the Blessed Eucharist – then later in life it is so easy to abandon any
semblance of such a wondrous life – and then these become the prime new
persecutors of those who have stayed with it since their inception at baptism.

And so today, humility is the
word, Just as Paul ends his teaching today by referring to John telling of his
unworthiness to even unfasten the sandals on Jesus’ feet – so too we are not
worthy to do the same – and we must count ourselves in the company of those who
know they are absolutely nothing in his sight – so that we can become everything
in his sight by his own free gift – emanating from the incomprehensible and
divine love pour forth from his Pierced and Wounded Sacred Heart.

In the gospel passage we see
Jesus great act of humility and service in his washing of the apostle’s feet at
the Last Supper – we too must do the same – and not become the betrayer –
because those who love and serve like Jesus did will experience unity in
Christ, unity with one another, unity based in the very heart of God! – and it
will last forever!

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

+ St. Mark was converted to the faith by St. Peter, Mark
being one of his disciples who afterwards accompanied him to Rome, acting there
as his secretary and interpreter. When St. Peter was writing his first epistle to
the churches of Asia, he affectionately joins with his own salutation that of
his faithful companion, whom he calls “my son Mark.”

The Roman people asked St.
Mark to put in writing for them the substance of St. Peter’s frequent
discourses on Our Lord’s life. This the Evangelist did under the eye and with
the express sanction of St. Peter, and every page of his brief but graphic
gospel so bore the markings of St. Peter’s character, that the Fathers used to
name it “Peter’s Gospel.”

St. Mark was then sent to
Egypt to found the Church of Alexandria. Here his disciples became the wonder
of the world for their piety and asceticism, so that St. Jerome speaks of St.
Mark as the father of the anchorites, who at a later time thronged the Egyptian
deserts. Here too, he set up the first Christian school, the fruitful mother of
many illustrious doctors and bishops.

After many years of governing
his see, St. Mark was one day seized by heathens, dragged by rope over stones,
and thrown into prison. This was repeated the next day, but at that point Mark
was consoled by a vision of angels and with the voice of Jesus accompanying
him, he went to his reward.

It was from the sketch of St.
Mark’s Gospel that the other 3 gospel writers took their cue, and in time a
rounded, balanced and canonically accepted picture of Jesus, Son of God come to
earth, emerged. And it was his message that was proclaimed to all the world, at
his command, when he ascended into heaven to return again one day to judge men
and women on their deeds of charity.

We thank God for the seed of
the gospel that he related through St Mark, may we likewise in this spring time
of the year, plant similar seeds of faith in the hearts and minds of all we
meet this day- sometimes all it takes is a friendly glance, a kind word, a
helpful gesture – and the recipient may be touched by the Spirit and turn to
God in ways they least expect!

We
proclaim Christ crucified; he is the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

­­+ The first reading shows how the Good News began to emanate and
spread from a small circle, to a great number – beginning with the
Jewish people – as was logical – for them to come to know that Jesus indeed was
the Messiah and redeemer that they had been waiting for – but then to the
Gentile people who was visited by the same Spirit that fell on the Apostles and
many others on the day of Pentecost. It simply visited them – for God can do
his own “evangelization” if he wanted to – personally.

Not only that – God was also
selecting certain pairs of personnel to be his witnesses and instruments in the
“rounding up of the Lost Sheep of Israel, and then everyone else in the world
who would be willing to be rounded up!” So, Barnabas, found himself going to
Antioch, being sent there by the church of Jerusalem – shortly after Pentecost.
He was a man filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith: and large numbers came
to the Lord through his preaching and display of genuine care and concern for
them.

Then the Lord sent him to
Tarsus to look for Saul – a former great persecutor of newborn followers of The
Way, followers of Christ. They were thus paired up and used as a “spiritual
dynamic duo” in attracting new members to the Mystical Body of Christ. They
lived together in Antioch for a year. And it was there that the disciples they
were gathering were first called by the term “Christians!”

The Lord still can call his
chosen instruments to pair up, to live together, and by their connection with
Him, and the Father’s providential plan, to minister with great enthusiasm and
joy to a specific group of persons daily who need to be gotten to for life, for
love, for salvation: the Joyful Servants of the Cross are such a dynamic
pairing. And so me, and my co-founder were brought together from the distance
of many thousands of mile, we lived together a monastic lifestyle for 12 and a
half years – gaining the experience needed to “spread joy, hope and peace
wherever we went” for the purification and perfection of the Church on earth,
and the spiritual transformation of the world into the glorious kingdom of God
in heaven!” This we have faithfully done by doing what we do, living our own
primary callings and states in life of priest and nurse.

And now that my cofounder has
been called to the fullness of life – having “become eternal” – transitioning
to the state of life without the body – since February 5th of this
year – our congregation is beginning a new period of solidity, growth and
helpfulness to the Good Shepherd would continues to round up those who would be
rounded up for life in the kingdom.

New members are being added to
the group – and a whole new dimension of spiritual rest and respite, education
and refinement is now being offered at our Abbey/Hermitage, as we continue to
do what Jesus did in the gospel passage today: tell anyone who would listen, HE
IS THE CHRIST! HE IS THE SON OF MAN! HE IS THE SON OF GOD! turn from what you
were doing – and turn to him – embrace him who outstretches his arms to embrace
you in a deep and tender loving embrace – and never let go! until you are safe in
the Kingdom prepared for you!

We are children of God! We are
CHILDREN OF GOD! let us praise him and thank him both now and forever!
Amen.

Monday, April 23, 2018

­­+ The readings today at Mass relate something that is mostly and
entirely misunderstood by most Catholics in the world since Apostolic times; and
that “something” is the fact that everyone is called upon to receive the
essential and vitalizing “baptism of the Holy Spirit.”

The very term probably turns
many of us off, because of the ill use of the term, and quite frankly some
hysterical manifestations of mostly wannabe Spirit baptized people or over
enthusiastic recipients.

There are actually three stages
of baptism that are generously and lovingly provided by the Most Blessed
Trinity: water baptism (in the name of the Trinity) for removal or Original Sin
and transformation into a child of God, a member of Christ’s Mystical Body, and
heir of Paradise. Next, is the sealing and first tooling of the water baptized
in the Sacrament of Confirmation. But, when a child is full grown and wiling to
be a true Instrument of Grace and Love of God to any and all they will
encounter each day: the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with the same effect as
fell upon the Apostles and the 120 on Pentecost Day, the birthday of the Church
– with is specialized spiritual tools to make a difference in the world – is highly
encouraged – making it the fullness of the sealing of the Spirit and water
baptism.

Jesus himself many times in Scripture
commanded us to be thus baptized saying: “John baptized with water, but you
will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” And so today the Scripture reminds us to do
it: St Peter, today in the first reading recognized and celebrated the fact
that the same Spirit baptism had indeed been bestowed on the Gentiles of Caesarea.

A gospel correlation is this:
the Gate of the Sheepfold is the three fold baptismal process that all are
invited to request and accept. Those who encourage this process are the Good
Shepherds, and those who manipulate this process for their own ends are the Bad
Shepherds who are to be rejected and avoided.

You may ask how do I do this,
be baptized in the Holy Spirit: it’s quite simple: JUST ASK FOR IT: say after
choosing the time to do it and sitting quietly, prayerfully:

“You are the Breath of God, Holy Spirit of
God, You are the Gift of the Redeemer, You are the Joy and life of Holy Church –
the Mystical Body of Christ – and His Bride. You are the all-powerful, all
healing, all peaceful Presence of the Most Blessed Trinity. Come, Holy Spirit,
fill my heart to overflowing. Come, Lord Spirit, COME! I ask now to be Baptized
by You with the full release and outpouring of Pentecost power, wind, flames
and fire of LOVE, HEALING, CREATIVITY AND MERCY. Dear Spirit of God, fall on me
fresh and mighty today, with courage, with vitality, with GUSTO – with the
accompanying manifestation through me of all Your Gifts that you will me to
have as I go out into the world today. AMEN!”

Be prepared for the adventure
of your lifetime – and it will be yours!

A
– I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep, and mine know me.

G –The
good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

+Today is Good Shepherd Sunday.It is
traditionally this fourth Sunday of Easter that we reflect upon the pastoral
nature of Christ’s mission and mandate.

Jesus came into the world to
change everything, to clarify everything, to transform everything into all that it could not be
otherwise without him – due to the extremely debilitating and life draining
Fall of our first parents: the damage done by them was catastrophic and
irreparable by any other of their race – except
one who was also God at the same time: and that is Jesus Christ the Nazarene
– who finally came – but who was killed by his own people – because they rejected him like a decrepit stone; but
actually he was the cornerstone who was placed in his rightful position by his
Father in the glorious act of raising him from the dead to a newness of life.

This
is the good news that must be
proclaimed to the whole world: to everyone,
everywhere:there is no salvation
through anyone else – this is what our first reading from the Acts of the
Apostles tells us today – Jesus is the
only one who can do it for us!

[All
other great philosophers, teachers, religious start-ups and life-coaches cannot
effect the redemption of the human race, because they are earthbound only, in
their own natures, and in what they have to offer. They can make us feel good
about ourselves and help us get in touch with what is actually the God of our
natural spirit but the cannot be called true effectors of salvation.]

And how this plays out is
marvelous: we have the opportunity to
participate in our own salvation now, because he has already completed his
end of the deal – and so we can now cooperate with grace and be born a second
time by baptism to “higher things”, and then we must further cooperate in our
own salvation by nourishing our spiritual lives by the daily program of
spiritual life that the Church lays out for us, in prayer, in the sacraments –
most especially the Eucharist: the Mass and in loving service to our brothers
and sisters.

Jesus the shepherd can only
shepherd us if we literally stay close to him, are in his pasture and follow
his lead. To mix the metaphor we are his sheep
but we are also sheep-as-children-of-God
– adopted, but truly his family – brothers and sisters of Jesus – and one
another. We must therefore treat one another like we are members of this very special family.

Yes, Jesus is the Good
Shepherd, the Excellent Shepherd, the Loving Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. And he is so because he has
suffered so terribly much. A shepherd who has not suffered is no shepherd at
all; a shepherd who has not suffered has no idea what his sheep are really
going through; a shepherd who has not died many deaths, has not experienced the
reality of God the Father helping him and raising him to new life over and over
again in his own life, and therefore has nothing to give anyone else.

And so, today we pray for all
the shepherds that Christ himself appointed and sent to proclaim the good news
and make his presence a reality on the face of the earth til the end of time –
we pray that they accept the death and
rising dynamic that must be a part of their lives, so they can help the
sheep, the sheep children of God, his own true spiritual brothers and sisters
do the same.

We also pray for vocations to
the priesthood and religious life – God is still calling - may men and women be
generous in responding and giving the loving Shepherd their hands, hearts and feet to help him love his sheep-children until the end of time.

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I
know my sheep, and mine know me.

Saturday, April 21, 2018

+ The readings for mass today take us to another point of decision.
In the first reading from the
Acts of the Apostles a simple formula of life emerges: “the churches throughout
the region built themselves up, living in the fear of the Lord, and filled with
the consolation of the Holy Spirit.

“Living in fear of the Lord”
is not a negative connotated sentiment at all for the truly baptized into the
Life of Christ, the Life of the Spirit, Childhood in the Fatherhood of God” –
One who is thus connected, realizes utter, complete and total dependence on the
source of their entire temporal and eternal existence: therefore, as we fear
losing battery charge in our smart phones, so we “fear” doing anything at all
that would disconnect us from God’s Love and Power and Healing Peace. This is
what “fear of the Lord means” – he is so awesome, and any shred of dignity at
all that we possess comes from him! – and then we can be pretty awesome ourselves
as his helpers!

“Filled with the consolation
of the Holy Spirit” – is the good part, the icing on the cake! Asking the
Spirit in the morning to fill us and our agenda for the day, and to gently lead
us and guide us through it – produces “icing” – produces peace and joy and
healing and strength when needed: this is manifest and demonstrated in the two
miracles also shown in the first reading: the Spirit of God can do anything to
awaken or sustain faith and trust in God alone: even curing a bedridden
patient, or raising a little girl from the dead! The Spirit can affect equally
amazing demonstrations in us and our loved ones, or even perfect strangers
through us: if we but believe He can do it!

In the gospel passage Jesus
tells this disciple point blank – that “it is the spirit that gives life, the
flesh has nothing to offer.” My words, my actions are spirit and life. And then
when people started leaving Jesus because some of his way of putting things
rubbed them the wrong way – and they did not try to activate the gift of faith
in order to understand – he says to the Apostles – do you want to leave too –
and Peter, says – Lord, where else can we go to get the truth, to get
compassion, to get forgiveness but you! We know you are the Holy One of God!
Please allow us to stay with you always!

May we say the same, now,
here, at this mass – and enjoy the consolation and peace of the Holy Spirit all
day long, as we proceed, joyfully, but always in the back of our minds “fearing”
doing anything that would cause us to “lose our spiritual battery charge” for
good!

Yes, Lord, your words are
spirit and life, you have the message of eternal life!

Friday, April 20, 2018

+ We again have terrific readings at Mass today: the
first reading is about the most exquisite conversion in all of Scripture, the
great felling of a pillar of persecution in the history of the newborn Church:
Saul of Tarsus becomes completely stock-still, when a quite literally “blinding
Light” from heaven saturates him with authority and no doubt, Peace! and he
falls from his horse while on the way to Damascus to round up Christians from imprisonment
and most likely death in Jerusalem.

The power and force of the
light, and the evidence thereof, most likely caused great cataracts to form
instantly to cover and protect his eyes from the more than nuclear invasion of
the light!

But his ears, both inner and
outer were unaffected by this episode, in fact they were in effect increased
and strengthened to acute levels: SAUL, SAUL WHY ARE YOU PERSECUTING ME! he
heard the infallible voice boom at him: I AM JESUS, THE ONE YOU ARE
PERSECUTING!

Saul, quickly assessed the
situation and realized at the point – at least in seminal, seed form, that the
Christians, who, filled with the Spirit, being the REAL PRESENCE OF CHRIST IN
MYSTICAL FORM: his MYSTICAL BODY – that he was persecuting so vehemently was
actually Jesus. He began to get the message!

And it was his fire, he even
overly zealous, over emotional and yes, even dramatic ardor and intensity that
made him the perfect person to now carry these same Christians now on his back
to safety in the face of the horrific persecutions that would be ensuing as the
Church faced the godlessness and paganism of idolatrous and profane barbarism
of the Roman force against them.

At the same time, on Straight
Street, a simple disciple of Jesus, Ananias, also had a vision and heard a
voice: being a good disciple he jumped at the chance to interact with Jesus
appearing, who said to him, a man named Saul will present himself to you soon,
and you are to lay your hands on him, and then be prepared: you will see the reformation
of a man who was just spiritual left as a pile of ashes on the road, and the
phoenix-like all new and improved Saul will begin to unfold right before your
very eyes. The Phoenix will rise reborn and ready for a 108 degree opposite
mission in life: to convert the entire known Gentile world.

WOW!

In the gospel passage, Jesus,
again continues his Bread of Life discourse: explaining that all the strength,
all the nourishment, all the energy, all the arms of peace, hope and joy, that his
disciples would need to carry forth in the world of persecution they would soon
face, and indeed down to our day, even worse persecution as the entire planet
is now seeped in an entirely self-defeating, self-consuming, self-destructive
to the point of obliteration view on life, goals, end-game reality: that
includes us as we go to work today, go shopping, go to the gym, go to the
movies, to restaurants, to the spa:

having the Eucharistic Life of
Jesus radiate through us: if we simply believe it can – we can be a force like
Saul/Paul of Tarsus, having Jesus himself in his Mystical Form transform in even
some small way, these people we will interact with today!

Jesus commands us to: GO OUT
TO THE WHOLE WORLD and PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS of unimagined Life and Bliss
awaiting those who BELIEVE IT TO BE TRUE, AND WHO LIVE THEIR LIVES LIKE THEY BELIEVE
IT!

Thursday, April 19, 2018

­­+ We have terrific readings at Mass today: a key-set
phrase comes from the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles: Philip asks
the Ethiopian eunuch if he understands the Scriptures that he is reading (from
the Prophet Isaiah), and then the classic and imitable reply: “How can I unless
someone instructs me?” Then, prompted and filled with the Holy Spirit, Philip,
beginning with that Passage from Isaiah (“Like a sheep he was led to the
slaughter…”), he proclaimed JESUS to him, and the need for water baptism first –
to be baptized and to become irrevocably linked and connected to him into
eternity.

The eunuch then notice some
water by the side of the road, and asked Philip if that could be used to
baptized him, and Philip said: “Sure!” so he and the eunuch went down into the
water and a new Christian emerged, and then Philip just abruptly went on his
way, mission accomplished, as he, and the other apostles, were moved at the
will of the Holy Spirit to meet up with people and announce Jesus and then see
if there was receptivity in the person encountered.

We are called today to very
much be led by the Spirit into the will of the Father, gathering still the lost
sheep of the world, before time runs out – and either seeing to their water
baptism, or leading them to an equally important Spirit baptism – as Jesus also
commanded – the same baptism the apostles and 120 men received on Pentecost Day
– to renew the face of the earth.

The gospel passage is about
Jesus saying that the Father selects those who would be led to him, like the
Ethiopian eunuch, but that they must approach through Jesus – through his Word,
preached and explained by his Apostles and their helpers, the priests and all
in Christian Formation, these days – because “all must be taught authoritatively
by God, and his duly appointed, not self-appointed, representatives and
spokespersons.

And he concludes the passage
by saying that the most excellent teaching is that Jesus becomes enfleshed in
bread and wine transsubstantiated by a priest in the apostolic line of
succession, so that we can eat and drink, and become him, who has left heaven
to become us, so to transform us, in this wondrous exchange.

And, of course, this
Eucharistic Banquet, so linked to the brutal Crucifixion of the God of Life,
Love and Peace, is in reality the preeminent sign of the forthcoming beginning
of the Marriage Feast and Subsequent Family Life of Christ the Bridegroom and
his Bride, the Church, when the veil will be lifted and we will see each other
face to face!

Yes,
no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise
him on the last day!

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

­­+ We have two very exciting readings at mass today: the
murder by stoning of Stephen, the Deacon, is what sparked the first great
persecution of the newborn Church. It is interesting to note that “everyone except
the apostles fled Jerusalem, and that is because most of them were not baptized
yet with water as Jesus instructed, and that were not baptized in the Holy
Spirit, which Jesus also instructed them to do. Being untooled and unequipped
for spiritual warfare – they naturally fled.

But the apostles stayed
because they were twice baptized and being filled to overflowing with the Holy
Spirit – they became LOVE, they became the LOVE WHICH IS CHRIST, they became
LOVE which will conquer the world – beginning with this persecution.

Saul was one who concurred
with the stoning of Stephen, Saul was one who, in his overzealous defense of
the Jewish religion, was among the chief persecutors: the went into their homes
and dragged out professed Christians and imprisoned them. Yet, it is this same
Saul that will be later chosen by Christ because of his very overpowering
zealousness to announce the Good News of Salvation through the Risen Christ –
to everyone who was not a Jew. This is pretty astounding when you stop to think
about it, because the scope of that conversion is still felt to this day – to this
mass – to you who are listening to this homily.

It is the vocation of all the
world, led by Christian proclamation and witness and service to “CRY OUT WITH
JOY TO GOD!” to SING TO THE GLORY OF HIS NAME, to RENDER HIM GLORIOUS PRAISE,
to say to God; “HOW TREMENDOUS YOUR DEEDS! Thank you! THANK you! THANK YOU!
dear tender, loving, immense and magnificent God of our Salvation and Architect
of the new heavens and the new earth that are fast approaching their GRAND
OPENING DATE!

The exciting part about the
Gospel passage is that when Jesus makes himself and proclaims himself and gives
himself as the Bread of His Own Life and Destiny for us to eat – in a Sacramental
but very real way – we ingest into our own cells, neurons and blood, his very
Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity – his very LIFE, LOVE, AND SELF-SACRIFICIAL
NATURE.

In the silence after communion,
then, we are meant to ponder, revel and rejoice in the fact that at this very
moment: JESUS THE LORD, THE KING, THE SAVIOR, MY FRIEND, MY LOVER is literally
becoming me, so that I can allow him to work through me for the good, healing
and salvation of others he places in my path today!

Wow! who would not want to
participate in this astounding meal, who would not want to “commun-icate”
thusly with the Lord of the Universe, who would not want to make the burden of
their daily life, easy and light?

“Yes, my friends, come and see
the goodness and great works of the Lord.” Alleluia! Amen!

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

­­+ Our readings today are poignant and ought not be anything less
than a stern admonition to repentance, a full repentance, and a turning to the
Life of Christ, Life in the Holy Sprit, that is available to us now in
astounding ways. While it is true that we have heard the gospels,
some of us for decades now, to gloss over the Truth that is buried deep in them
because they have become wrote at this time in history is not a good idea.

As the deacon Stephen is
impelled and inspired by the Holy Spirit, as he lived in the Spirit, to call
the people, their elders and their scribes: Stiff-necked and Stubborn! (Reminiscent
of how St. Paul called the Galatians “stupid” for so quickly abandoning the
heart of their gift of faith), for acting just like their own juridical
ancestors who did not believe what the Prophets were telling them either –
about the fulfillment of the Law in a coming Messiah, in fact, Jesus Himself.
And now you have become betrayers and murders: murders of God’s own Son, who is
your Lord, Savior and True King.

And infuriated they rushed
him, attacked him, and stoned him to death: but, and this is KEY, while they
were doing that: Stephen – filled and protected
by the Holy Spirit – gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus
standing at God’s right hand” – this is absolute confirmation for us
believers in Jesus, that this is exactly what he saw as a reality, the risen
ascended Jesus in glory – and then as Jesus forgave his executioners, so did
Stephen as he said: ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’

And then Stephen prayed that
immortal prayer: “Lord Jesus receive my spirit.” and then he “fell asleep” – This
is great imagery! Because that is what the moment of death is for the Christian
– a falling asleep in the body, but an amazing awakening for the soul as it
becomes eternal and enters the dimension that it was always intended to
inhabit: God’s own Life, God’s own
Being, God’s own Love!

And of course in the gospel passage,
Jesus is discussing the sign of manna from heaven that “Moses gave” the people
to nourish their bodies, and Jesus corrects them and says: No, Moses did not
give that bread, but my Father did, and I did, - because that bread was a
forthcoming sign of me – because I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE, I AM THE BREAD OF
LOVE, I AM THE BREAD OF PEACE – and if you come to me and EAT MY BREAD – the VERY
EUCHARISTIC BREAD OF THIS MASS – then you will life, love and have profound
peace eternally – and this is dead serious: if you don’t, YOU WON’T!

The choice is mine, the choice
is yours! So, will you be stiff-necked, stubborn and stupid and run away today –
or will you EMBRACE YOUR GOD and LIVE? and will you do anything He asks you to
help others to do so.

You are our rock of refuge
Lord, in the storm-tossed sea of life in the world, you are our stronghold and
our fortress – we believe that you will lead us and guide us, safely to you!

Saturday, April 14, 2018

­­+ In our day and age, if we saw someone, in middle of the night,
come walking toward us on a wind-swept sea, we would probably be as
terrified as the disciples were in the boat that was out on the lake.

But I would offer here maybe
an educated guess as to what actually happened here – seeing how “they wanted to take him into the boat, but
the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading” makes
me think that perhaps it was only “the appearance of Jesus walking on the water”
that they saw – maybe there were rocks on which he could walk, on some kind of
a jetty-like object, or even a sturdy sand bar.

Whatever happened, the key to
understanding the scene is that the disciples were terrified at something they could
not compute or understand, even it being the Presence of Jesus, but when they
became afraid and cried out: then Jesus says “It is I. Do not be afraid.” And
their fears ceased, and they wanted to take him into their boat – but then the
scene ends.

When we are situations – that feels
like a wind-swept sea is rocking the boat of our lives in ways small and great –
we must not look inward to our own fears and inadequacies – but we must look up
and out, for Jesus will be passing by, in some person, maybe the one we would
not likely suspect, but we must cry out to him, we must use our voice, if only
in a whisper – and say: Lord, is it you? Lord, it IS you! and
then, in the situation, he will communicate to us somehow that it is indeed he,
and that we no longer need be afraid – because, we have already made an act of
faith, in our addressing him – and he will calm the situation.

Now he won’t get into our
boat, settle in for a cup of tea – and a chat – though he can if he wants – but
he just wants to assure us that when we activate our power as a child of God,
as a brother or sister of his, as a redeemed precious lamb, then he will always
be there when we call, but we must call
out!

May we today call out, as
often as necessary, “Jesus, is that you?”
and he will immediately be present and answer back, if we have the “eyes of
faith to see, and the ears of faith to hear!”

See,
the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his
kindness, to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine.

Friday, April 13, 2018

­­+ Our readings today can reorient us to the realities
involved in everyday life, but not, to everyday life in “the world,” with its
machinations and manifestations of greed, selfishness, self-centeredness, bigotry,
lies and uncharity; but what I speak of is the supernatural above-this-world realities of the mysteries of Christ, in fact life in the Mystical Body of Christ,
a life that the world does not know, does not care to know, and will be as
sorry as can be, someday, for not budging an inch in its ignorant, arrogant stance.

The Apostles, in the first
reading, who were meeting the challenges of the day on a supernatural, rather
than natural plane, knew they could not stop preaching about Jesus – sharing the
good news of the glory that was even now being revealed about him, and about us
who are invited to share in his victories.

And so, Gamaliel, a very wise
teacher of the law, persuaded the rest of the Sanhedrin, the governing body of
the Jews, to simply “give it time,” – men, just give it time, for if what these
men on fire are earthbound, their movement will die out, and die out quickly, but
if it is of God, then nothing we can do can withstand it, and we would not want
to tangle with God, not at all.

And so, the Apostles were let
go – and their message, and the reality of the Risen Jesus of whom they
preached did not die out, but in fact only got stronger and stronger as more
and more came to believe and act as though they did believe.

In the gospel passage today we
see Jesus feeding the five thousand with a very limited resource of loaves and
fishes – which is the manifestation of the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus that
would be available as “daily bread” so that the Movement of Christian witness
and the power of Love to change the course of history would increases day by
day, until the end of the age.

Brothers and sisters, we are a
part of that forward movement of the building up of the Body of Christ to Full
Stature – so that it may be assimilated at the end of the age – into the Heart
of Christ, who is always assimilated in the Heart of His Divine Father. And
being fed by this Eucharistic Food at this Mass – we arm ourselves for the
challenges, and joys of the day, knowing that what we share, with only
strengthen and build up those with whom we come into contact, the more freely
and confidently we simply are ourselves: redeemed children of God!

The Lord is our light and our
salvation! Help us, Lord, to share you with others today! Amen.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

+ Born to the Polish nobility in 1030,Stanislaus was educated both
in Poland and most likely also Paris, France. When his parents died, he
distributed his inheritance to the poor and became a parish priest, later becoming
a canon and preacher and later vicar-general at the Cracow Cathedral. He was a
noted spiritual director. Reluctantly he became bishop of Cracow in 1072. He
was known, as bishop, for his preaching against sinful living, regardless of
the sinner’s class. He was killed by King Boleslaus after he excommunicated him
due to his war crimes and attempted theft of land from the Church. Reaction
against Boleslaus was so great that he fled the country, never to return; his
guilt led him to become a monk.

Stanislaus became a symbol of
Polish patriotism and nationalism and is sometimes considered a martyr. He was
murdered in the chapel of St Michael in a suburb of Cracow and then buried
there, but later reinterred in the cathedral in 1088. He was canonized by Pope
Innocent IV at Assisi in 1253.

In this Easter Season we
reflect on the strength and spiritual protection that comes from the Blood of
the Lamb of God who died and rose again from the dead to be our sure refuge and
hope in times of trouble; Stanislaus enjoyed such protection due to his saintly
lifestyle and evidence of putting into practice what he prayed about!

In the gospel passage Jesus
asks the Father to protect his future bishops as they go out to proclaim the
truth – even to kings who would not listen. They were consecrated in that truth
and given the courage and perseverance to give their very all in the
proclamation of it!

We thank St. Stanislaus of
Cracow today for not only meditating on the truth, Christ Whose Person is the
Truth, endlessly, but also, proclaiming him, and dying like him and for him:
may we ask his intercession to do the same to whatever degree we are called to
respond in kind!

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

­­+ Today we have very important, even I may add “critical” readings
for mass – especially the gospel passage. The whole incarnation
of the Word of God, which really happened, the enfleshment of God-Speech, as
Jesus! God only spoke one Creative Word – by the working of the Holy Spirit – and
that word is WORD! And this WORD became flesh – so as to save us from sure and
certain eternal doom and damnation – the result of the sin of our first
parents!

And so, we have just recalled
and celebrated the great high holy days of our religious observance: Holy
Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil!

Now there is likewise only one
way to get totally connected and hooked up to these eternal life saving events:
and that is the method that Jesus himself prescribes: saying to Nicodemus in
the gospel passage: “YOU MUST BE BORN FROM ABOVE!” you MUST be BORN FROM ABOVE –
you must access God in the way in which will be salvific for your life here and
hereafter!

YOU MUST BE “BORN AGAIN”! – of
the SPIRIT! but Nicodemus is tripped up by the phrase: “BORN AGAIN” How can
this happen?? Can a fully grown man crawl back inside his mother’s womb, for a second
birth, a second launching into the world. Well, no and yes!

Jesus begins to assure
Nicodemus that it is a supernatural, spiritual reality that he is talking
about, not the natural event that Nicodemus is thinking about!

Being born again and truly
living the life we were meant to live consists in this: Jesus further
extrapolates: you must be baptized, first for the forgiveness of sin, in my
Name; then later you must affirm and confirm this “sacrament” by another
deepening sacrament: Confirmation; and then if you want the fullness of the
life of the Spirit, you must be baptized in the Holy Spirit – so the same
experience that happened on Pentecost Day can happen to you – then you will be
fully armed, charged and launched as a spiritual force into the world to help
combat the opposing force that wants to deter people on earth from their
rightful eternal inheritance of peace, and joy and love!

More on all this later as this
Season and the Season of Pentecost unfolds in a few weeks.

Let it suffice to say: that
subsequent actions, which speak louder than words, testify to the fact that
this Spirit life in the Mystical Body of Christ is real, palpable and accessible
to anyone at all who wants it: and the action involved are actions of
self-sacrifice, love, sharing, caring, compassion, empathy and Service after
the Heart of the Lord Jesus who washed his disciples feet at the Last Supper he
ate with them in the pre-resurrected human life form that he possessed.

In whatever degree we now
possess the Spirit – always knowing we can proceed to the next and more deep
level – let us live our faith joyfully, recklessly, peacefully and happily this
day as we help in some way every single person God puts in our path!

Belief in the Son of Man who
was lifted up from the earth is essential for eternal life! I BELIEVE LORD
JESUS, LORD CHRIST, LORD SAVIOR! how can I help you today!

Monday, April 9, 2018

­­+ Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the
Lord - a feast
ordinarily preceding Christmas Day by nine months – March 25th which
is the day that the Angel of the Lord “declared that God had chosen Mary, a
humble maiden of Nazareth, to be the
Mother of his Only Begotten Son” – and she saying: “Let it be done unto me,
according to his will!” – and the Word of God – his Son – broke into space and
time, broke into the fabric of our universe, broke into the depths of our
broken and beaten human condition – after the tragic fall of our First Parents:
Adam and Eve – and He became Flesh by the working of the Holy Spirit.

The keeping of time, and the
expanses of space have never been the same, and neither have our bodies, our
minds, our spirits – as they are now shared with us by God himself – in a
mortal / yet immortal body, as we would see demonstrated later on, and which he
have just seen demonstrated by the events of Holy Week and Easter!

I love the first reading from
the Prophet Isaiah! If you will recall in a future gospel passage, Jesus in a
sense yells at people who are looking for a sign! Signs! Signs! Signs for heaven!
All you people want is a SIGN! can’t you see that I AM THE SIGN! But today, the
Lord himself, in almost a comical, fun, play like kind of way {he is just so
excited about what is to happen) says: “Go ahead! Ask for a sign! I’m ready for
you! Ask away!” And Ahaz say, “I will not! I will not make my Lord angry! I
will not tempt his goodness and his truth!”

So God, says: “Oh, OK, alright
then, stop wearying me when I tell you to do something: here, I will give you a
sign! THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD – and she will BEAR A SON – and you shall NAME
HIM EMMANUEL which mean’s GOD IS WITH US! Do you get it! He will be GOD WITH
HIS PEOPLE RIGHT ON THIS EARTH!

The second reading tells about
the conversation that God the Father had with his Word – his Son – from all
ages – even if he never came to earth! “You know, Son, sacrifices and oblations
– all those things that the people on earth are making – just do not satisfy
the offense that at this point is permanent – would you please assume the body –
the physical body – that I am preparing for you in the womb of a virgin of
Nazareth, in the Middle East – and live a life like theirs, but without sin, to
demonstrate to them that it can be done – but also, you will have to die a real
human death – because this is the only holocaust, the only offering, the only
act of covenant in your own blood – that will satisfy the situation.

“I will weep and wail over
your death, my beloved Son, but it has to be this way for them and for their
salvation!”

“Of course, I will do it,
Father, of course, with all my heart I will do it, all my understanding, all my
strength – I will do it for them, for the lost sheep, and for all the sheep on
the planet – in fact for the whole universe – and it will be a spectacular
result: and you, Father, will DANCE!”

What an amazing feast this is:
no! astounding, more than mind boggling!

but it really happened! and it
happened for you, and for me! and it happened for all those you will encounter
today who will find out just a little bit about it, to meet their needs today,
their needs of survival, their needs for HOPE, their needs of a kind word, a
helping hand, a silent ear!

The Word of God became flesh
and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his GLORY, and now we are filled
with his GLORY, and now we SHARE THIS GLORY! Amen.

A
– You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord; blessed
are those who have not seen me, but still believe.

G –Eight
days later Jesus came and stood in their midst.

+ Today the Church continues rejoicing in the celebration of
Easter Day! We have reached the Octave (Eighth) Day and the
Solemn Celebration is now complete! But, could we really stop celebrating
Easter? for seven weeks more we will celebrate the season of Easter, and then of course, we know that every Day of the Sun for the remainder of the
Church calendar year is a continuation of the celebration of this one Easter
Day!

On
this octave day then, we still bask in the radiance of Jesus come back to life – but this time
to a newness of life, a fullness, a
richness that we are all invited to share in and participate in. Jesus
demonstrated it again in the gospel passage today: “on the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were
locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus (just suddenly
appeared) and stood in their midst!” We too – will be able to use
preternatural gifts of appearing suddenly here and there, in heaven.

Then Jesus said to them: Peace be with you! and then he showed them
his hands and his sides! Why would he do that? Why did Jesus choose to keep
his scars and wounds visible? it is because they were his trophies! they were his proof
positive that he loves each and every one of us that much – to be able to
suffer the horrible death of crucifixion for us – so that our sins could be
forgiven, and that we would live forever after what is now just a mere
formality of physical death!

Then to inaugurate the
concrete and very real sacramental distribution of his forgiveness, Jesus breathes on the Eleven and says:
receive the Holy Spirit – whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose
sins you retain are retained. He did three things at this point: he sent
the Holy Spirit into their beings in an unprecedented sort of way: he empowered
them to forgive sins in his name and
person, and he made them true and authentic judges of each situation: only those who show contrition and sorrow
for true sin and have a purpose of amendment will be forgiven: and he gives
these, his first priests, the faculties to make the call!

The
Divine Mercy of God is now available to be poured out on mankind
in a most powerful way, like the blood
and water that poured forth from his pierced heart! This is the mercy that
forgave Adam and Eve, it is the mercy that reestablished friendship between God
and mankind, this is the mercy that even the most hardened sinner can rely on
and call upon – and this day’s secondary title: Divine Mercy Sunday – ties it all together!

It only makes sense that the
mirror image, end celebration of the Easter Octave be spelled out as a Mercy Sunday, just as Easter Sunday
spells out irrevocably that everything now is completely different than it was before the death and resurrection
of Jesus of Nazareth! Now, it is Jesus who is undisputed Lord, King and Savior
of the world; and sooner or later everyone will come to understand that and
have the opportunity to believe it and thus access all the benefits of it – and
its chief benefit is MERCY!

Thomas of course, needed proof
that it was really Jesus who was alive; and he got his proof a week after
Easter as we read in the gospel passage: and what he ought to be more
remembered for than his doubt, is the magnificent act of faith that he made in
all of its stark simplicity: and then
Thomas answered: My Lord and my God! Jesus then said: Thomas there will be some who believe because I will reveal myself to
them in special ways, but the greater majority will not really see me, but they
will believe in me, and your words just spoken here, will help them! Once
they believe that I am their Lord,
and I am their God! I am their Savior, then their lives will never be
the same! Thank you Thomas for being the first of a long line of people who
will love me enough to adore me and serve me with all their hearts!

Yes,
the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord
has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes!